Cooking Up Trouble (David Cook fic) - (9 Parts)

[Bongo]

Chapter 7

David Cook died that night.

Okay, so maybe he didn’t literally die, but when he woke up he felt like he had been run over by a bus. No one could survive being run over by a bus. Therefore, he was dead. Maybe a zombie.

He stayed huddled in his blankets for as long as he could but eventually the need to pee became more pressing than the need to sleep, and he got up and stumbled into the bathroom, taking the blanket with him.

Upon seeing his reflection in the mirror, he decided his former hypothesis had been correct. Zombie. Complete with the white skin and sunken eyes. He splashed cold water on his face, leaning over the sink, in an attempt to wake himself up. All it managed to do was wake up his nose, which did not appreciate the cold water. He ripped off some toilet paper from the roll just in time to muffle a series of derperate sneezes into it. Ugh.

"How's this for really sick?" he mumbled, sitting on the ground and dropping his head onto his hands.

He was certainly in a predicament, he figured out as he sat miserably. There was no way he could pull off the whole "I’m-fine" act and actually have people believe it looking how he did. It was quite obvious now that he was in fact, not fine.

David was so out of it sitting on his cold tile bathroom floor- blanket still wrapped limply around his shoulders and clutching the crumpled piece of toilet paper- that he didn’t even hear someone knock on the door.

In fact, the only way he knew he wasn’t alone in the apartment was because he heard the ever so familiar, energetic voice of Syesha. "David? Just came to see how you were feeling, honey…are you still in bed?" As soon as he heard her voice, David bolted off the floor and closed his bathroom door. A partially stupid move on his part, he had to lean against the door as he found himself dizzy from getting up so fast.

"In the shower," he croaked, hoping she would hear him. His voice sounded horrible, almost as bad as he actually looked. He staggered over to the shower and turned the water on in the mindset that she’d leave. Lucky for him, David heard a door close as Syesha left his room. There would be some explaining later on why he sounded like that, no doubt. He’d just have to whip up some excuse…either that, or talk as little as possible.

Maybe he could take a vow of silence for the day? No, that wouldn’t make sense. He was yanked back out of his thoughts when he realized that the steam from the shower was making his nose run and tickle. Grabbing a tissue out of the box on the counter, he caught another two painfully forceful sneezes in it. "Achoo! Hahh…Hachoo!"

Ow.

The warm water, when he finally settled into the shower, felt like slittle drops of heaven hitting his skin, soaking away the tension and soreness that had settled in his shoulders from sickness and stress. He could stay there all day, let it wash away his bad performance and nreves and still cingested head.

He continued to sneeze and cough until the water ran cold, then speed-dressed into his favorite old jeans and a sweatshirt. He wiped his nose on his sleeve, and sat down on the bed to ponder over the location of his shoes.

As he was sitting there, more jut sitting than actually thinking, the door opened again and, much to his chagrin, Carly bounded in saying "Hey Cook, do you want go with us to…deliver presents?" Her question changed drastically as she got a good look at his face. "Whoa…"

David immediately looked away from her, knowing that even with a shower he still looked like death. And death? Yeah, death does not look so pretty on a person unfortunately. And it was apparent by the somewhat shocked look on her face that Carly agreed.

At least she seemed to find some amusement in the little joke she cracked, even if he didn’t. "Very funny, Carly," he said, his voice a heavy mix of nasally congestion and sarcasm. She frowned, clearly surprised at the sound of him.

"Damn, Rudolph, you look like you got hit with a semi." She said, her own tone caught somewhere between concern and playfulness. David didn’t reply, rather grabbed another tissue and held it in front of his face for a sneeze that was literally itching to come out. "No offense or anything. I’d come sit beside you, but I’m a bit afraid I might get the plague."

"Thahhh…hahh- thanks so much. I love y-ahh…achoo! –you too." He smirked, wiping his overly-sore nose with the tissue.

"Can it, Cook," Carly said in a mock-threatening voice, "before I bring Syesha in here and let her get an eyeful of you."

"Seriously," David sniffled, "I’m fine."

"Sweet, so you’ll practice the group number with me?"

Immediately suspicious, David crossed his arms and stared at her. "Sure…."

Carly cleared her throat and assume a singing position. "Yeah, Lord, I know, when I lay me down to sleep, You'll always listen, as I pray!"

"And I know you’re shining down on me from heaven, like so mahh Achoo! Heh Choo! Crap!"

Carly rolled her eyes. "You know, no one is voting tonight."

David clenched and unclenched his fists. "I am not fricking faking sick, okay?"

Carly jumped on the bed and lay there on her stomach, head on her hands, staring at him. "I know that Cookie Monster. You just caught one whopper of a cold at a really crappy time."

"I’m fine," he protested feebly.

"No you aren’t," Carly replied. "You’re hoarse and snotty and look like my cat coughed you up. No offense."

He sighed. "None taken."

Carly just sat there on the bed for a moment, unsure of how to respond to his last remark. "You’re going to have to admit that you’re sick eventually, you know."

"But I’m fine," David tried again, his voice sounding weaker the second time he tried to defend himself.

"Just be grateful you don’t have to make an offering to the porcelain god, if you know what I mean," she laughed, tossing his pillow up in the air and catching it mischievously.

"I refuse to dignify that with a resp- ahh…ahhh…- response." David said matter-of-factly, although around the end became distracted by a tickly feeling that started to spread through his nose. He was beginning to get sick of that.

"You just did," Carly shot back, tossing the pillow at him. Surprisingly, he caught it. She noticed he wasn’t really paying attention though. Instead, he sniffled and walked across the room to his tissue box, pulling one out and having it ready just in case.

"I dunno what you’re going to do about tonight’s performance, Cook. You can’t just take a break in the middle of your part to blow your nose, y’know?"

"I know I cah…ahh…achoo! Hahh…Hachoo! Atchh! Hah...achoo!"

Carly sighed. If something like this happened tonight, he’d be screwed.

[Guest LoraLee]

all i can say is..

WOW that was awesome!

[Just Older]

Awesome writing.

Sounds like Carly might have a plan!

You. Are. Brilliant.

[dancestar893]

more more I NEED MORE!!!!

what happened

i was enjoying this story so much

you stopped right when it was getting good too

i'm sorry if you feel like i'm baggering you, but i was loving this story and i 've been looking quite often to see if there was more, and every time i look it just gets farther down the stories list

again i'm sry, but i need more

[Bongo]

Chapter 8

"So…seen any good movies lately?"

David gave her a perplexed look. "What?"

She shrugged. "I dunno, just trying to make conversation."

"Why? Can’t you go torture…I mean hang out with someone else?"

Carly snorted. "Cute."

"I always am." He gave her a cheeky grin. "I’m cute, and dedicated to my craft. So I spent so long working on my part of the group number my voice gave out." He put his hands to his throat for effect.

Carly applauded. "No one will buy it, but nice effort."

"Thanks," he choked out, coughing wetly. Carly wrinkled her nose.

"Ugh."

"Hey, David," they both heard Syesha call, knocking on his door. "We’re going to practice our group performance right now. Carly was supposed to come get you…care to join?" The man in question groaned. He really didn’t want to have to deal with Syesha right now.

"We’re in here, Sy," Carly said, and Syesha took that as an invitation to open the door. David immediately turned around and pretended to be focused on something out his window so she couldn’t see his face.

"Are you two coming?" She asked, her voice bouncy with mock impatience. "And how are you feeling, hon?" Syesha walked over to where David was standing and made to look at him, but it seemed he was making that increasingly difficult.

"I’m fine." David said firmly, although his voice begged to differ. It was still raspy and congested. "I told you, I was just tired last night." Syesha, to make sure for herself, grabbed his shoulder and moved him so she could see his face.

"Oh, no. If you were just tired, you’d be up and ready to go by now. You look horrible! You poor baby!" She ushered him over to his bed, and he sat there in annoyance with no other options but to comply. In one swift movement, she pressed her lips to his forehead.

"You feel a bit warm. Carly, does he feel feverish to you?" Carly just laughed and shook her head.

"You’re over-reacting, Syesha. Just listen to him, he says he’s fine." David smiled, happy that Carly was sticking up for him. Unfortunately, his nose had other plans.

"Hahh…ahh…" His breath hitched and he bit his lip, trying to prevent another sneeze. That’d be all it would take to make super-smothering Syesha condemn him to bed rest for the day.

"Show her how fine you are," Carly said, in a serious and concerned voice that David didn’t buy for a second. "Don’t sneeze. You don’t need to, you’re not sick."

"Rihh.." He sniffed hard. "Right Carly. Thanks."

"Any time Davey, any time."

"Ahh..Actually," he began, having a moment of inspiration. "Last night, when I said I was fine I think I actually may have had some bug."

"You think?" Syesha asked sarcastically. Carly looked at her approvingly.

"Well, I fee..feeeeell a lot better dow, but I dod’t wadt to risk by voice sigging."

Syesha jumped up, eager to help. "Kristy was sad she had such a small part last week. Maybe she’ll take some of your lines." She wandered off, presumably to go find Kristy.

"Well tha…ahhht got be out of by long pahhh…art in the song." David said, smiling triumphantly. "So Syesha’s dot so ba…ahhh…ad."

Carly just shook her head and laughed. "What are we going to do with you, Cook?"

David shrugged. "Love be?" He snorted, then grabbed a tissue off of the table and blowing his nose wetly. Carly winced at the sound. She wasn’t a germaphobe like Brooke or anything, but it wasn’t exactly a pleasant sound like birds chirping or anything.

"Do I sound ady bedder?" He asked slowly, and frowned when Carly shook her head. "I need to by toni-ahh…-night," he sighed.

‘Speak of the devil,’ Carly thought as she saw Brooke walk into the room.

"Carly, what are you doing in here? You were supposed to be out there practicing with us!" There was a pout forming on her lips.

"She wahh…ahh…hahh…was helping me prahh…ctice." Brooke pursed her lips and looked between the two of them in slight annoyance.

"Yeah, Brookie. Relax. We’re coming now." Carly linked arms with David, who still had the tissue in his hand and a very peculiar expression on his face. He paused for a moment and sniffled before practically exploding with a sneeze.

"Hahh…ahh…ACHOO! Hahh...ATCHH!" At least the second one was caught in his tissue.

Brooke stopped suddenly and turned around. "That. Was. Disgusting."

He shrugged. "Baybe, but it felt great to fidally get out. "

"Don’t call her baby, she’s being mean to you," Carly pointed out.

"Shut up?"

She nodded. "Can do. Come on Brooke, let’s go let him get cleaned up on his own."

"Works for me," Brooke agreed. "Um, feel better."

Surprised, David smiled. Maybe she was an odd one, but she was a decent person. "Thaks."

Halfway down the hall due to their desire to get away from the sniffly guitarist, Carly called "Blow your nose, you sound like a drug addict."

Speaking of odd ones…

[aussieblokeintexas]

"David, cranky and tired, threw his pillow at the teen in his door who easily ducked out of the way. So now he had no pillow. Damn."

Absolutely love this quote. You can see the upset-ness. lol very good job and thank you.

aussie

[silentdreamer789]

Never seen the American version, but I'm loving this. Looking forward to more...

[dancestar893]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

[Just Older]

LOL

A drug addict.

You're awesome!

[Bongo]

Sorry, I kind of forgot about this fic for awhile.

Part 9

He went back to his hotel room and blew his nose, then stuffed a bunch of tissues in his pocket just in case. After a quick hair brush, he decided he was aas presentable as he was going to get, and went to go practice with the group.

"Never had I imagined living without your smile," Kristy sang as David walked out to meet the rest of his competitors. He tried not to make eye contact with anyone, because nobody had to remind him that he looked like a freaking reindeer.

Kristy seemed to have picked up on his old part pretty fast and he couldn’t deny that she sounded good. With his voice, he’d sound absolutely horrible trying to pull it off. Like gargling acid, as Simon would put it. Carly smiled when he came to join them, and he smiled back half-heartedly. He felt at least a little better than he had when he woke up this morning.

David messed with the hem of his shirt, not even bothering to sing along with the rest of them during the group parts. He figured he’d just wing it on stage, probably end up just lip-syncing the song. Quite frankly, he had more important things to worry about than sounding exactly on pitch. The last thing he wanted was another fiasco like the night before.

He sniffled hard and attempted to clear his throat before singing his individual part. Though cut drastically, he knew he could still mess it up, even if it were something as simple as ‘ohhh,’ or whatever it was.

Halfway through the practice run of it however, David had to stop and cough wetly into his fist. He daren’t look up, as he knew he’d be met with looks of dismay and disapproval. You weren’t ever supposed to stop in the middle of the song.

This was just a practice though, not the real thing. He wouldn’t in the real thing. He couldn’t humiliate himself like that in front of almost all of America.

"Sorry guys, I didn't bead to..." he said softly.

"’S’okay, Rudolph," Carly said somewhat sympathetically, but giggling all the same, "so long as you don’t do that tonight."

"Would't dreab of it love," he replied, rubbing his nose harshly with his fist. "Ub, excuse be." With his hand still at his nose, he left the group of idols and ducked into the bathroom to blow his nose.

When he got back, Syesha had her hands on her hips. "Feeling better, he says."

"Babe, you know I wouldn't lie to you," he said, in full charmer mode. "It's just that I have all this musuc in me from being sick and I have to get rid of it somehow. You understand."

Brooke looked a little green, and even Carly had to mutter a quiet "ew." He felt bad for grossing them out, but whatever wold get everyone off his back was good for him.

"Thank you for sharing," Syesha said. "Are you ready to take it from the top?"

"I was born ready!"

[lalaland~]

Hooray! It is continued!

[Just Older]

Yes!

I was missing some 'awww' from my life, lately.

[PropertyofCora]

I LOVE THIS!!! AMERICAN IDOL IS THE BEST SHOW EVER!!!!!!!!!!